The Debt That All Men Pay
by Kiss-This2010
Summary: This is an alternate ending of NT2. This time Mitch manages to get out of Cibola alive- who takes his place? Will anyone survive? Ben/Abby Patrick/Emily
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is my first National Treasure fic and I'm used to writing Harry Potter fics, but I'm trying to branch out a little. I'm a huge Emily/Patrick fan and I don't think they get enough stories, so my challenge to you is that if you like my story give me a story in return circulating around them. And of course Ben/Abigail are great too, but I decided to make the ending of the movie a little more to my taste. That would be more drastic and heart-pounding. This takes place right after they found Cibola.

"We found it!" Ben cried out in amazement. Abigail and Riley shared his excitement and even Mitch could not hide his surprise. Rile was actually jumping up and down and Abigail found herself in Ben's enthusiastic hug. They had found it, Cibola, the city of gold.

"Ben! Oh, thank goodness, Ben!" The four turned to see two figures standing across the room of gold. Emily and Patrick had made it. Ben let go of Abigail and started towards his parents. The others turned to explore the rest of the room. The golden pyramids outlined the enormous cavern. In the center was a sacrificial temple that stood like an island in the water.

"Ben, I was so worried! Are you okay?" Emily wrapped her arms around her son as he assured her of his health.

"She was nearly hysterical," said Patrick as he patted him on the back.

"I was more worried about the two of you killing each other," laughed Ben, the earlier scares of meeting his death out of his mind. Emily and Patrick refused to meet each other's eyes, the kiss still fresh on their minds and Emily walked off. Ben didn't seem to notice the uncomfortable air between them.

"This is unbelievable!" exclaimed Riley, giving out a huge whoop. Ben looked around for Abigail and found her climbing to the top of the center temple with his mom. Mitch was wondering around the base of it.

"I'm proud of you, son. You really did it. Thomas Gates would be so proud." Patrick put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "His name will be cleared. I knew he was innocent." He seemed close to tears as he stared off into the distance. Ben followed his eyesight to Emily and Abigail jumping in excitement at something they had found.

"Uh, guys? I don't think this is too good." Riley was hunched over looking down a tunnel.

"What is it?" yelled Mitch.

"Water and lots of it." He began running from the pyramid he was on, and for good reason. Water gushed out from all directions. The pressure from the water must have been greater than the stone holding it back. The room was going to fill up with water.

"Quick, to higher ground," cried Ben, pulling his father towards the center of the city. Once all of them were at the top of the temple, they could see what was going on. Water was pouring in from all directions.

"It seems to be draining somewhere, but it's not going fast enough. The room is going to fill up," muttered Mitch. "We have to find the drain; it will be the only way out." As they began looking around for some sort of drain, Patrick removed a dollar bill from his pocket. He dropped it over the edge of the temple, following the current it was whisked away under the temple.

"It's underneath us!"

"Lead the way, Dad." They followed him off the temple and waded through the waist deep water into a small tunnel. Inside there was some sort of wheel and a stone door. "The wheel must open the door." Ben and Mitch quickly jumped to it, turning the wheel and the door slowly crept open. Right as Riley began to move toward it, Mitch let go, sending an unsuspecting Ben to the floor and the exit slammed shut.

"What was that?!" yelled Riley who had almost been underneath it when it closed.

"We all know what is going to happen. Someone will have to hold the door open and stay behind. Someone has to die," shouted Mitch over the rush of the incoming water. "And it is not going to be me." He let this sink in and looked at the pathetic group. They were all soaking wet and worn out. He had twice the muscle power to fight his way out of here; the treasure would be his.

"No," whispered Emily. Everyone looked at her. "There has to be another way." Mitch leapt off the platform where the wheel stood and took out the knife he had found earlier. Abigail let out a small squeak and Ben stepped protectively in front of his friends and family.

"There is no other way. So, who's it going to be?"

"Mitch, put the knife down. There is no need for it."

"Really? It's five versus one. I think I need some leverage," smirked Mitch. Ben lunged at him, but the water slowed him down and Mitch easily jumped out of the way. Riley tried to grab him from behind but that only earned him an elbow to the face, breaking his nose. He cried out in pain, falling back into the rising water. When he emerged, there was blood seeping from his nose.

"You okay?" shouted Ben. He nodded holding his face. Mitch made his way through the now chest deep water at Patrick, Emily, and Abigail. Patrick pulled Abigail into Emily, forcing them behind him. Mitch took one swing and missed, leaving room for a right hook to the mouth. His second blow hit home though, and this time with the knife. It sliced Patrick's right shoulder, but didn't go too deep. Both women screamed, but Ben was already flying through the air at him. He made contact with Mitch's back and both of them went under the water. Much to their relief, Ben came up for air, gasping.

"Where's Mitch?" asked Abigail, silently thanking God that Ben was okay. All of the sudden Emily let out a shriek and she was pulled under. Two seconds later she came up again, but with Mitch behind her, the knife to her throat.

"Who will it be? Who's going to stay behind? Because if you don't make a decision now, we're all going to die," growled Mitch and it was clear that he was right. The water was rising at a steady rate and it would not be long before they were all under water.

"I will!" called Ben and Patrick at the same time. Even Riley had mumbled something indistinct over by the door, still holding his now profusely bleeding nose.

"It's amazing what you can do with a hostage," grinned Mitch, resting his head against hers. Emily struggled to get away from him, causing him to laugh even more. Ben ran up to the wheel.

"Look! I'm here! Go by the door, I'll get it open. Just let my mom go."

"Now what good would that do? All you would have to do is let them through and then shut the door before I got through. You just let me and your dear old mother through and then I promise I won't hurt her- Too much." Patrick started to say something, but Abigail rested a hand on his arm. Instead, he turned to his son.

"Let me do it, Ben. You have your whole life in front of you, and a wonderful woman to spend it with," said Patrick softly.

"Abby, get him out of here when I open the door," replied Ben, never meeting his father's eyes. It would be too painful. Not that Abigail was any better. He loved her more than anything in the world, but he would not be able to live with himself if he left his father here to die. Abigail rushed up to him, pulling him into a hug. She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips, tears on her face. She knew this was something he had to do.

"Would you hurry up? We're going to drown before you open the door." Ben looked around. Abigail and he were up on a platform, but the water was reaching the other's necks. Patrick and Mitch were still standing, but Riley who was shorter, was treading water to stay afloat. Emily was struggling to get air from under Mitch's knife.

"You are going to drown her," yelled Patrick catching sight of Emily's effort to breathe. Mitch rearranged his hold on her to keep her above the water. Patrick would give anything to have her safe and pain free in his arms. He had noticed the bruises on her wrists and neck from her early escapade with Mitch and his partners. She had never complained, but he knew she was hurting both mentally and physically. Ben began pushing on the wheel as Abigail began pulling Patrick toward the door with Mitch and Emily. The rising of the door caused a steam of water to flow through.

"Ahh! I'm 'oing unner!" Riley had been sucked through the small space that Ben had opened up and disappeared.

"Riley!" called Ben, under the strain of the heavy wheel. Patrick had managed to hang onto the side of the cave, but Abigail had slipped through his hands under the door. "Abby!"

"I'm ohay! I tink Abb 'it 'er 'ead on de door! Ab-he! Ab!" Riley called from the other side, his broken nose affecting his speech. "Sheet! I tink she'z knocked out!"

Ben cursed, still panting from holding the door open.

"Shut it!" Mitch had been pushed against the wall instead of being on the other side of the door. Ben closed the door. The water had subsided, but it was still deep. "Now that you've saved your girlfriend, let me through."

"How do I know you won't kill them once you make it through?" asked Ben. "How do I know you'll let them live?"

"You'll just have to trust me," smirked Mitch. He slowly traced his knife along Emily's collarbone, drawing a small line of blood.

"Stop!" cried Patrick. Emily whimpered slightly, her chest heaving.

"I can't let you through. Not without knowing you won't hurt them."

"You have no room to negotiate. If you don't let me through you not only kill us both, but your parents as well. So, open the door, Gates." Ben looked at his father, whose shoulder was bleeding and then to his mother whose teeth were clenched shut in order to not scream out in pain. Emily looked at her ex-husband, her eyes telling him something Ben could not understand. They were filled with tears, but she refused to cry. Something had happened between them tonight in the cave.

"Go." Ben began to push the door open again. Mitch and Emily went under and disappeared to the other side. "Go Dad! Now!" Patrick waded through the water to the platform where his son was struggling with to hold back the wheel.

"Benjamin, go with them. Leave me here." He walked up to where Ben was and placed his weight against the bar of the wheel. "As your father I demand that you leave." Seeing the desperate look in Patrick's eyes, Ben stepped back. "Go."

"Dad…"

"I said go. Please. All I ask is that you take care of Abby and your mother." Ben stepped into the water and dove under the door. It shut behind him.

"Where did he go?" Ben could make out Mitch's tall outline throwing his mother roughly to the floor. Someone lay on the floor, but one person was missing.

"Where did the nerd go?" Mitch raised his arm to hit Emily, but Ben caught his arm.

"Ben!" gasped Emily, tears streaming down her face. "I thought you were…" Her eyes widened when it hit her. "Patrick…"

"Let the old man die…how noble of you Gates," mocked Mitch. Ben took a swing at him, sending him stumbling away.

"Ben- Abigail!" Emily was pointing franticly to the figure on the ground. Abigail lay on her back. Ben bent over her, brushing away the wet strands of dirty blonde hair from her face. A gash on the back of her head was bleeding on the stone floor.

"Abby…Abby please wake up," he whispered, bending over to check her breathing, relieved to feel a pulse. He could not hold back the tears at the thought of losing her. He should have known the current would pull her under. "Honey, wake up for me. I love you."

"So sad, so sad. To lose two people so close to your heart." Mitch had regained footing.

"What did you do with Riley?"

"I didn't do anything. As soon as we came out he pointed to her and ran off. Blubbering idiot."

"How dare you!" Ben got up, Mitch raised his fists, for he had lost the knife somewhere between the door and here.

"Ben, don't!" Emily was sitting, defeated, against the wall. She could not bear to see him hurt; he was all she had left. She was crying now- all her strength had left her. A loud commotion at the end of the tunnel caused them all to stop and turn. Riley had returned with Agent Sadusky and a team of FBI agents. Riley was still holding his bleeding nose, but looked rather pleased with himself. The others carried sledgehammers and other tools.

"Mr. Poole, Gates is right here," said Sadusky looking at Ben.

"I 'wear, he was 'oing to stay be'ind to die."

"Dad did." Ben looked regrettably back at the stone door.

"Well, then lets get to work and see if we can save a life tonight. You there, start tearing down that wall. Be prepared for water surges. I need the paramedics to look at Ms. Chase. Get moving!" Riley, Ben, and Emily watched in amazement as workers began to beat the stone door. Ben shook Riley's hand and walked over to his mother, helping her off the floor, her eyes never leaving the door.

"Mom, let the paramedics have a look at you," said Ben gently eyeing the washed out cut on her neckline.

"Not until they get through," she whispered, her body shaking from the dampness of the tunnel. An agent brought over a blanket for the two of them. Ben kept looking over his shoulder at Abigail who was being lifted onto a stretcher. Riley approached them from behind.

"I'll stay 'er wit 'er. Ooo go wit Ab-he." As much as Ben wanted to take him up on his offer, he knew Abigail would be safe. His father on the other hand was a different issue. If he tried to live, Patrick had ten to twenty minutes left before the entire room filled up. However, he didn't know they were trying to save him and the water could have been coming in faster than they thought.

"Pull out! Get them out!" yelled an agent who was working on destroying the door. Water was spraying through- they were almost through. "The water will come through the tunnel. Get them out!" Sadusky reached Ben's other side.

"Come on Gates. You heard the man."

"Sir, I don't think that you understand the situation. My father was willing to sacrifice his life for us. We need to be here if…when he comes out alive." Sadusky nodded and waved off his men. Riley nodded his approval, holding his blanket to his nose. Emily never made a sound. Within five minutes, the workers had broken through completely, sending water into the tunnel. Rescuers moved in, looking for the lone man. Ben heard Emily muttering something, finally understanding that she was praying.

"Mom…if he doesn't make it…whatever happened between you two today…" He could not imagine the pain she would be in if his father did not come out alive. She looked so distant and pale. Ben had never seen this side of Emily before. She had always been the strong one- his rock. Seeing her break down broke his heart. And worrying about Abigail and Patrick on top of that was not helping.

"Ben, please don't say that. Please just let me think he will be alright. I need him to be alright." Emily was glad to have her son beside her and alive, but in the few short days she had spent with Patrick she had seen everything she had been missing for thirty-two years.

"We found him! Get the medics now!" Emily fell to her knees in tears as the paramedics rushed past them and threw the water into the room on the other side. In moments they began pulling Patrick out on a stretcher, but there seemed to be no life in him. He lay unmoving on the white sheet, eyes closed. From the brief look they got of him, hope seemed out of reach.

"Mom, let's go." Emily allowed her son to guide her out of the tunnel and into the sunlight. They moved her into an ambulance along with Riley. Sadusky approached Ben.

"Look Gates, you need to be checked out before we book you."

"Book me?"

"You kidnapped the President of the United States, remember?" Ben shook his head in realization.

"Right," he sighed. Looking around once more he remembered something. "Where is Mitch Wilkinson?"

**A/N:** Don't worry, I'll have more to come soon, probably just one more chapter. Remember I'm mainly concentrating on Em and Patrick so you might not see all that much of Ben, Abby, and Riley in the final outcome. Of course, you'll see if Abby's ok or not. Remember my challenge: write more Emily/Patrick!! And reviews are nice. :D


	2. Chapter 2

Ben sat alone outside of Abigail's hospital room

Ben sat alone outside of Abigail's hospital room. The bright, white walls of the lonely hall were unwelcoming. Today's events still haunted him; everything about it pressed his mind, saying all of this was his fault. It was his fault that Abigail was not waking up; his fault that his mother had been held against her will, not once but twice; his fault that his father was facing death.

"Hey Ben," said a familiar voice. Riley took a seat next to him. "How is she?"

"I don't know. They keep telling me they'll tell me when they know something. But they keep adding thinks to their little clipboards and smiling at me like I'm some type of idiot. Not that it helps that the Boy Scout has to stand there and watch me like a hawk." Ben waved, smiling sarcastically, at the FBI agent standing at the corner. Riley tried to laugh, but winced and held up a hand to his bandaged nose.

"As long as none of my fans see me like this." The huge white bandage made him look like Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer with frostbite.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they won't care," joked Ben half-heartedly.

"Who won't care?" Emily was walking towards them. She had on her black duster over her hospital gown; her clothes, like the others, were still damp and torn. The makeshift outfit didn't quite cover the bandages on her neckline and the bruises on her wrists and throat. Her eyes were tired; her face showed the same look of defeat it had worn in the cave just a few short hours ago.

"Mom." Ben couldn't keep his voice from breaking as he gave her a hug. "They released you?"

"No, but that little bitty thing of a nurse wasn't going to keep me there. My soon-to-be daughter is hurt and my son needs me."

"Are you okay?"

"Of course. I'm just worried about you. My poor Benjamin." Riley snorted and Emily gave him a disapproving look.

"Hello, I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Riley Poole. I've been looking after poor Benjamin for a while now." He held out a hand to a laughing Emily. The doctor came out of Abigail's room and addressed Ben.

"Ms. Chase is awake and alert. However, we are still running some tests on her. Be prepared for anything. Memory loss is very common, as is blindness. I will come get you when we are ready. It will be about thirty minutes. I suggest you get some coffee." He caught sight of Emily and said, "Ms. Appleton, shouldn't you be in your room?" Emily scolded as he went back into the room.

"Have you called her parents?" asked Emily.

"Yes, they're on their way. I guess I should go check on Dad," sighed Ben. Patrick's condition had been fragile from the moment they removed him from the water. Already, he had stopped breathing four times.

"There's been no change," said Emily softly. When she noticed Ben's curious look, she added, "His room is between mine and Abigail's. I thought I would update you so you could stay with her."

"Of course, thanks. I'm still going to go see him." Ben suppressed a smile. He knew good and well Patrick's room was no where near his mother's room.

"I guess I'll go with you. Riley can stay and wait for Rebecca and Alex to get here." Rebecca and Alex Chase were Abigail's parents. They and Emily had met before Ben and Abigail's split. Riley looked at Ben who shrugged and followed Emily down the hall.

They entered the ICU department of the hospital and walked down to his room. The nurse that was checking his vitals smiled sweetly at them and exited the room so they could be alone. Ben took a seat next to the bed and Emily stood at the foot of it. Ben watched her looking at Patrick. Maybe, after all these years, there was still something there.

"Mom, what happened down here?" Emily hesitated, avoiding her son's eyes. "What happened between you two?"

"We…well I…" Ben waited patiently. Emily was not one to be short on words, so if she could not think of something to say, she really did not want to talk about it. However, Ben knew how to work around her refusal to talk.

"You don't have to tell me. I just thought it would be easier for you to talk to someone about it. In case…in case Dad never wakes up." He looked at her through the corner of his eye, watching her contemplate his words. She looked down at her hands, a blush coming up in her cheeks.

"I kissed him." Ben was a bit surprised at her answer. He could see his dad making a move, but his mom had always been so against spontaneous actions.

"Did he kiss you back?" He knew curiosity killed the cat, but he could not help it.

"Why wouldn't he?" Emily's voice was crisp and offended, making Ben know he had crossed a line.

"Well, you two are divorced and haven't said much in thirty-two years…" Ben stopped; deciding now was not the time to tease her about Patrick. Somehow knowing this made him feel better. There was no way his father would leave her now, not even in death.

"Ben?" Riley poked his head in. "Abby's parents are here and the doc says you can go in now." Ben nodded and turned to Emily.

"Are you coming?" She smiled and shook her head no. Ben and Riley left her alone. She took the seat abandoned by her son. Without hesitation she took Patrick's still hand into hers, rest her elbows on the bed. She touched her cheek tenderly to his hand, a single tear trailing down her face.

"Patrick, please…" She held back a sob. She had cried too much today for her standards. "Don't leave me now. I've come to realize how blind I was to what we had. I've missed something for so long. I've tried to work through it, keeping myself busy, never thinking about what I'm feeling. I know that I miss you being beside me. I even miss your inability to do anything correctly. And Ben needs you…I need you, my love."

Ben entered Abigail's room with hope. She was awake. She was going to be alright. And he was going to be there for her for the rest of her life. His mood changed when he saw what was in the room. Abigail lay staring at the ceiling. Rebecca held her daughter's hand, silent tears streaming down her face. Alex was talking sternly with the doctor. Alex motioned for him to come over.

"What's wrong?"

"Ms. Chase appears to have some complications," stated the doctor.

"Complications?" asked Ben, his heart sinking. The doctor looked at Alex, who nodded.

"Abby's blind. They don't know if it's temporary or not. There is a fifty percent chance she may never see again," said Alex bitterly. He liked Ben and not for a moment did he blame him for his daughter's condition. "You can go talk to her. She's upset right now, but maybe hearing you will help."

Ben nodded and moved to Abigail's bedside. Rebecca tried to smile at him, but failed miserably. He took her hand, taking a seat.

"Ben?" Abigail asked. "

"Hey, Abby, it's me." He gave a small kiss to her hand that was clenched to his.

"You're alive?"

"Dad…" Ben cleared his throat. "Dad made me leave. He stayed instead."

"Ben, I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright. They got him out. He…he will make it." This was never certain. Patrick could die any minute. In fact, and it hurt him to think this, he could be dead right now. "How are you feeling?"

"There's no pain. I guess that's good. The whole being in the dark thing isn't great."

"I know Abbs. I know. There is a fifty percent chance-"

"I'll never see again. I know Ben."

"That's not what I was going to say. There is a fifty percent chance that you will get your sight back; that this is all temporary." Abigail smiled. "And even if you don't that doesn't change a thing. Sure, I'll have to make sure you don't run into anything and stairs might be a problem, but it will never change the way I feel about you. I love you Abigail Chase and having the lights turned out doesn't make a difference."

"That was so much better than what Riley did. He kept talking really loud like I was deaf too. He said something about making sure to leave the toilet seat down when he visits," Abigail laughed. Even Rebecca cracked a grin and Ben shook his head at his friend's lack of advice.

"How are your parents?" asked Rebecca.

"Mom is up and running much to the doctor's dismay. She has been disobeying them since she stepped foot in the hospital," replied Ben. "Dad still hasn't shown any signs of waking up. He's breathing on his own now and they say he has a good chance of waking up; they're just not sure when that will be. "

"Excuse me." Ben, Riley, Rebecca, and Alex all turned to the door. Sadusky stood with two men.

"Is it that time already?" asked Ben in a bored voice.

"At least wait until Patrick wakes up," reasoned Riley.

"Who's here?" whispered Abigail.

"Our good friends, the FBI."

"Why do they have to take you now? I just woke up! I thought I would have more time!" Rebecca put a reassuring hand on her daughter.

"What is going on?" asked Emily who had just been ushered in by another officer.

"They didn't have anything to do with it. I did all by myself. Mom doesn't even know what happened," said Ben. He was prepared to go to jail, but they were not going with him.

"What did you do?" asked Emily.

"I kidnapped the President," mumbled Ben.

"You did what?!" shouted his mother. "Which President? Our President? As in the President of the United States? How on God's green earth did you manage to pull that off?"

"Mt. Vernon. I took him-" Sadusky cleared his throat.

"That's not what we are here about."

"Hello, Ben." The President of the United States walked through the hospital door. Ben leapt to his feet to shake his hand. "I would like to say that you will all be honored with the credit for discovering Cibola. In addition, I will personally inform the country that Thomas Gates was a hero in the Civil War by keeping Cibola from the Confederates. Ben Gates, I thank you for saving my life that night underneath Mr. Vernon."

"No, thank you, Mr. President."

"I'm sorry to say that we have not caught up with Mr. Mitch Wilkinson. However, we do believe he might be looking for you. Therefore, we are moving you all back to your home, Ben, and setting up security to draw him in. Seeing as your father is in an unstable condition, this will have to wait until he is able to move out of the hospital. Arrangements will be made then to take you back home." With that he left with Sadusky and the other officers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Patrick flickered his eyes open, letting the dark room come into focus. He could hear a faint beeping. He was lying on a bed of white and there were blinking machines around him. Hospital. He had to be in a hospital. His eyes began to adjust to the lack of light in the room, but so did his nervous system. Pain shot through his body as he tried to move. He ached all over. He felt worse than death.

But wait, he was supposed to be dead. He remembered the rushing water. He had been dragged under- the pressure all around him. He hit his back against a rock. He could feel that pain now. There was no way to fight the water, especially with the stab wound to his shoulder. Everything began to fade, all had disappeared and he had awakened in this room.

Straight in front of him, curled up in a chair was Riley. Patrick loved that boy like a son and it was a relief to see him alive. To his left, though it pained him to turn his head, was another hospital bed. Two people slept on it: Abigail and Ben. Good, they had made up and were both alive. That only left one person. Slowly he turned to his right.

Emily lay stretched out on a window seat. Her short body hardly fit, but she was sleeping soundly. The moonlight flooded over her, reflecting on her pale face. She was beautiful. And she was his. Or so he hoped. They had kissed and Patrick felt something come back to him. It was a small kiss, but Emily never did such drastic things (well unless she had a couple of shots of tequila) and it had to have meant something.

"Em," he croaked. She had always been a light sleeper and he hoped she could hear him. Sure enough she opened her eyes, staring at him. Emily slowly sat up.

"Patrick? Are you awake?" she asked uncertainly. She was not sure if she was dreaming or not. Patrick tried to nod, but only grunted in pain. Emily crawled off the window seat and over to his bedside. "Oh, Patrick, we've been so worried. No one was sure that you would make it and they had to resuscitate you nearly five times and you looked so awful and-"

"Emily," he muttered, smiling at her blabbering. She did care; she really cared. Emily reached out and touched his cheek, one hand grasping his hand. Leaning forward, she kissed him.

She laid her head on his chest and whispered, "I love you."

**A/N:** Yes, sorry, I couldn't make anyone die. But you never know, Mitch still has to make his return! I was only going to make this two chapters, but it looks like three now. I didn't think the hospital would take this long. Anyway, thanks so much to all my reviewers! I can't believe I got that much feedback on my first NT fic!! Love you guys!!


	3. Chapter 3

Ben Gates looked at his house for the first time in a week. It was bustling with people. Nurses ran to and fro moving his father into the house. Patrick still did not have the strength to walk on his own. However, for this to work, they all had to be at the house. Also around the house was everyone from the FBI and CIA bugging and arming the house. He saw Riley talking to a young nurse who looked slightly bored and seemed very glad when her supervisor called her away from the young man. His mother was right in the middle of everything. Emily had Abigail by one hand and was telling off Agent Sadusky for something he clearly not done right.

"Benjamin! Get in the house!" Ben smirked at his mother, but did as she said. All this commotion was for one purpose: to capture Mitch Wilkinson. Everyone knew that he would try to get revenge on Ben and his family. Even the government protection would not stop him.

Once inside, all the fuss settled down. It was only his family in the living room. Emily was serving coffee as everyone found somewhere to rest. They had decided it would be best if they were all in one room. A small handgun sat on the coffee table just in case. Patrick had set himself up on the couch so that he was completely propped up. The footrest had been dragged underneath him so he was completely stretched out. Riley had flipped on the TV and was seated on the floor in front of it in order to hear it. Ben himself took a seat in a recliner next to the couch. Abigail was talking to her parents on the phone.

"Mom, I'm going to be fine. I'm with Ben." She paused for a minute. "Emily is here, too."

"Let me talk to her," said Emily, bringing in cups of coffee. Abigail held up the phone and she grabbed it. "Rebecca? It's Emily." Smiling, she went back into the kitchen.

"Finally! Some quiet! Now I can watch Mythbusters!" Riley said from the floor causing them all to laugh. A few minutes later, Emily came back in with a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Abigail, still blind, had mastered feeding herself days ago so everyone enjoyed the cookies and coffee. They kept the conversation light, but the threat of Mitch hung over their heads. Riley plugged in a sci-fi movie that had them all asleep in minutes. Once it was over, Ben walked over to the TV, turning it off.

Patrick watched his son go back to his chair. The clock read 1:37 am. Riley was spiraled out in the middle of the floor asleep. Emily was sleeping with her head on his shoulder. He did not think she meant to end up that way, but the lack of sleep in the past week had taken its toll on her. Abigail was resting on Emily's lap.

"Whatcha thinking about, Dad?" asked Ben moving from his chair next to the gun, to one beside his father.

"Nothing really. I'm just ready for us to return to a normal life."

"Normal?" Ben raised an eyebrow as Patrick laughed. They both knew their lives were anything but normal.

"Well, I mean once you and Abby get married and settle down, I won't worry so much." Ben had proposed to Abigail at the hospital right after his father had woken up. He hadn't had a ring or anything of that sort, but she had said yes. They were going to go pick out a ring and start the wedding plans once Mitch had been caught. "I'm getting grandkids, right?"

"Dad!"

"I'm serious. Someone has to carry on our legacy!"

"Well, if I'm having kids, how am I going to explain why Grandma and Grandpa won't talk to each other," teased Ben right back. Patrick looked at the woman sleeping on his shoulder.

"If I have anything to do with it, you won't have to worry about that," whispered Patrick. Ben smiled. It was good to see that the two of them had a chance. Now, what to do about Riley was a whole other issue.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about kids," growled a voice from the door. Mitch stood in the shadow of the moonlight, a silver gun gleaming in his hand. "Nice to see the old man made it. Now you won't have to die with a guilty conscience."

"You won't hurt anyone, Mitch." Ben eyed the gun that sat on the coffee table. There was no way he or his father could reach it because it was on the other side of Abigail.

"Well, just so you know, your FBI friends are busy chasing a few of my guys through your yard. I have plenty of time to kill all of you."

On Patrick's shoulder, Emily felt her ex-husband tense up. Fluttering her eyes open ever so slightly, she saw Mitch pointing a gun at her son. Moving gently so no one would notice, she looked for their gun. It was just beyond her reach. Patrick felt Emily sit up quietly. He put a hand on her thigh as to keep her still. Abigail had awaked to the voices, but pretended to be asleep, not that she could see anything anyhow. It was best just to keep still.

"Look Mitch. We can work this out. Skip the country. I'll send you some of the money from Cibola. No one has to go to prison or die."

"I don't think you understand, Ben." Mitch raised his gun. "Do you want to die first or watch me kill the rest of your family?"

Before Ben could answer or Mitch could shoot, Emily lunged for the gun. In order to get it, she had to dive overtop of Abigail so she was stretched across the couch, but she had the gun in her hand.

Mitch never had time to react. From her laying position, Emily pulled the trigger twice, sending him to the ground. He never moved. Emily stood shaking, staring at him, with gun ready for any motion. She stared into his fading eyes and she said, "Never mess with my family again."

Ben walked over to her, taking the gun. He held one arm around her protectively. Police barged in from all sides shouting and pointing guns. Riley finally awoke with a start; he had slept through the entire thing. He jumped up from the floor, hands raised. He took a few wild looks around and finally spotted Mitch on the ground, dead.

"I always miss the good stuff!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Watch your step. One up. Good girl."

"I'm not a dog, Ben." Ben was guiding an annoyed Abigail up the steps to his father's house. She wasn't completely blind anymore, but her eyesight was still too bad for corrective lenses and still needed a guide. It had been a week since Ben had moved Patrick back in. Emily had returned to Maryland and was back to teaching three days after Mitch had been killed. Riley was…well being Riley. He had just taken a girl to lunch yesterday who thought he had hung the moon. And of course he had taken his newly instated Ferrari. He had drove the three of them to Patrick's house for lunch.

"Yes, I know, this is a long way from that wonderful garage you're used to, Liberty." And Riley had named his car Liberty. "I'll be back in a couple hours, sweety. I love you."

"Riley!" Riley jumped at Ben's shout and jogged up to them at the door as Ben knocked. Patrick came to the door with a blue bathrobe on.

"Nice of you to get dressed, Dad," teased Ben as he helped a confused Abigail into the house.

"Nice surprise to see all of you!"

"Dad- we made plans for lunch on Monday." Patrick made an 'o' shape with his mouth and winked at Riley.

"How was your lunch date, yesterday?"

"Pretty good. Lucy has my book memorized. She's pretty and smart and stylish and thinks Liberty is amazing."

"That's the only thing that matters to him- the car," laughed Ben.

"Do not call her a car!" Riley tried to act offended. "Nice robe. Wish I could lie around and do nothing all day."

"Yeah, Dad, it's not like you to still be in a robe at this time of day." Patrick shrugged this off.

"Well, I'm going to grab me a drink. Ben? Abby? Want anything?"

"How about I get you something," said Patrick quickly, grabbing Riley's arm before he could enter the kitchen. However, Ben shot his dad a queer look and skimmed around him, opening the kitchen door.

"Hi, Mom," Ben said with surprise. Emily was sitting at the kitchen table in a red robe sipping coffee. "That would explain why Dad was still in his rope." Riley cracked up laughing. Patrick and Emily both blushed before either of them could utter a word.

"You forgot they were coming over?" asked Emily.

"It sort of slipped my mind. You called after I had already told Ben he could come over for lunch, and I knew I had something to do when you invited me for dinner, but I couldn't remember what."

"Wait- it's only lunchtime," piped up a confused Abigail.

"We had dinner last night…" began Patrick.

"And I decided I'd stay for breakfast. Got a problem with that?" She eyed her son and Riley doubled over in laughter. "Patrick has been awfully forgetful hasn't he? Isn't there something else you were going to tell your son?"

"Oh! Your mother is moving back in with me." He walked over to Emily placing a kiss on the top of her head as the rest of his family watched on happily.

**A/N:** Ok. Now it's finished. I hope everyone loved it! Reviewers, you have been wonderful! I love yall! And just another thing- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE WRITE MORE EMILY/PATRICK! That is the only thing I ask of all you dedicated readers!


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